2010-10-20

THE TUFTS DAILY

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TUFTSDAILY.COM

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2010

VOLUME LX, NUMBER 29

Fire marshal, TUPD approve additional 500 Cage Rage tickets Five hundred more tickets to the Cage Rage fall concert scheduled for Oct. 26 went on sale yesterday following a reevaluation of the event venue’s capacity by public safety officials, Concert Board announced over the weekend.

Tufts University Police Department (TUPD) and the fire marshal gave Concert Board the go-ahead to sell more tickets after reviewing concerns over Carzo Cage’s occupancy limit, giving students desperate to attend the concert new hope.

“At any event, we want to give the majority of students the opportunity to attend,” Office for Campus Life (OCL) Director Joe Golia said. “Working with TUPD and the fire marshal, we were approved to allow more students into the space.”

Electronic indie-rock group Passion Pit will headline the show, which also features hip-hop artist K.Flay and Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears. The event is designed to combine the university’s traditional separate fall hip-hop and rock shows into one large concert.

Golia said that only 1,500 tickets were sold initially due to a lack of certainty about the precise number of students who could safely fit in the space.

“Last year was the first time that space was used for a concert and the show was so small space was never an issue,” he said. “It takes some time to figure out exactly how many people any space can accommodate.”

Given the high demand for tickets this year, the OCL asked for help from TUPD and the fire marshal to assess the space’s maximum occupancy.

“The number sold earlier was based on the occupancy of the cage as we originally understood it,” Concert Board

Where You Read It First Est. 1980

TCU Senate approves buffer funds for P-Board BY

BRIONNA JIMERSON Daily Staff Writer

MEREDITH KLEIN/TUFTS DAILY

An additional 500 tickets went on sale yesterday for next week’s concert featuring Passion Pit, following a reevaluation of the space’s occupancy limit. Above, students line up for the first round of ticket sales at the end of September, during which all 1,500 tickets were sold out.

Co-Chair Nicole Goodwin, a junior, said.

“After we had sold all the tickets a few weeks ago, the fire marshal reevaluated the occupancy of the room and found that we could sell additional tickets.”

Concerns like the number and locations of bathrooms, exits and entrances factored into the calculation, according to Golia.

Goodwin said she received positive feedback following Concert Board’s announcement.

“I know a lot of people had asked me

after it was sold out if they could get tickets,” she said. “There were a lot of people who still wanted to come, so I think there is a lot of excitement about it.”

Even with the increased number of tickets on sale, Golia still anticipates a sold-out show. “More than half of the additional 500 tickets sold within the first few hours,” he said. “I expect the rest to be gone before the concert next week.”

The Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate’s decision to allocate a lump sum of $30,000 to Programming Board will this year increase the board’s financial autonomy and alleviate its chronic financial troubles.

Programming Board is an umbrella organization that includes the Class Councils, Concert Board, Entertainment Board, Tufts Film Series, Tufts Lecture Series and Tufts University Spirit Coalition (TUSC), among other student groups.

Programming Board restructured its constitution this semester in an effort to simplify budgeting, according to Programming Board Co-Chair Sarah Habib. The Senate’s decision to allocate buffer funding, which finalized at its first meeting on Oct. 3, comes from the desire to sufficiently fund operations at Programming Board’s many large-scale events, including Spring Fling.

The conversation about allocating additional funding to Programming Board goes back to last semester, around the same time the organization began to restructure its constitution, TCU Treasurer Kate de Klerk, a junior, said.

“We are very lucky to have a great relationship with Senate,” Programming Board Co-Chair Adam Fischer said.

The allotment to Programming Board is in addition to the group’s annual budget of approximately $500,000, according to Habib.

“In the last few years, activities and events have been underfunded,” she said. “We moved Winter Bash off-campus, so it costs more to secure a location [and] pay for security.

—by Amelie Hecht see FUNDS, page 2

Massachusetts program aims to keep graduates in-state

BY JENNY

WHITE

Daily Editorial Board

Some Massachusetts organizations are trying to keep college graduates in the state after graduation in an attempt to avoid losing the thousands of students who have called Boston home throughout their college careers.

Massachusetts: It’s All Here, a non-profit collaborative marketing initiative, recently launched a web campaign called Stay Here — massitsallhere.com/stayhere — aimed at offering recent graduates and young professionals easy access to resources for finding a job and procuring housing in the state. The effort comes in response to research indicating that the Massachusetts’ skilled workforce growth rate is lagging behind that of other states.

It’s All Here — an association of private companies, internship organizations and academic institutions from around the state — launched in 2003 with the aim of promoting the Massachusetts economy, according to Kofi Jones, It’s All Here’s lead coordinator. She told the Daily

that Stay Here, which began last September, focuses on retaining Massachusetts college students after they graduate and on supporting young entrepreneurs looking to start businesses.

“This is kind of our ‘I Love New York,’” Jones said, referring to the famous advertising campaign. “It’s a great way to talk about the strengths of Massachusetts, particularly its great minds and innovative work force.”

Jones said Stay Here is about linking the state’s strengths in business and education.

“The greatest minds come here to go to school,” Jones said. “When they graduate, that workforce is vital to the state’s long-term prosperity. Businesses want that talent and energy.”

Beyond the website, Jones said that Stay Here partners will be visiting colleges around the state this year to promote Massachusetts resources and get input from students.

“We’re working directly with schools so schools can provide resources directly to students,”

Jumbos dine for a cause: Engineers Without Borders

ASHLEY SEENAUTH/TUFTS DAILY

Students last night participated in the biannual Cause Dinner at Dewick-MacPhie and Carmichael Dining Halls. Dining Services every semester hosts a Cause Dinner in which it donates a portion of each participating students’ dinner to selected Tufts-affiliated charity organization. This year’s recipient was Engineers Without Borders: El Salvador Group, which will use the money to support its clean water projects in El Salvador. The Tufts Community Union Senate’s Services Committee co-hosts the event and selects the recipient organization out of a pool of applicants.

see STAY, page 2

Inside this issue

Today’s Sections

Faith plays an important role in many students’ dating habits.

An MFA exhibit explores the female figures of a seminal Persian epic.

see FEATURES, page 3

see ARTS, page 5

News Features Arts | Living Editorial | Letters

1 3 5 8

Op-Ed Comics Classifieds Sports

9 10 12 Back

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Wednesday, October 20, 2010

NEWS

Efforts underway to encourage Mass. students to stay in-state post-graduation STAY continued from page 1

Jones said. She added that Stay Here has reached out to career services departments at colleges, providing them with posters and website links.

Tufts has linked to the Stay Here webpage from the Career Services website in an effort to provide students with additional regional job listings, according to Director of Career Services Jean Papalia.

Papalia said this move is not necessarily an attempt to convince students to stay in state after graduating.

“In our experience, Tufts students don’t need to be persuaded to ‘stay here’ in Massachusetts,” Papalia said in an e-mail to the Daily. “For example, 37 percent of the Class of 2010 reported that they planned to stay in Massachusetts.”

Jones called the Stay Here website a “universal platform to find information” because it includes links to many relevant resources for graduates looking for jobs or internships. The site will soon offer access to the Massachusetts Internship Collaborative, an online handbook designed to guide Massachusetts businesses on how best to create more internship opportunities.

“If companies don’t have internships, we convince them that they should,” Jones said.

Sarah Lanning, the assistant director of economic development at the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, which represents area businesses, said that her organization is an It’s All Here member and has responded in the past couple years to research that indicates Massachusetts college graduates are leaving the state.

The Chamber of Commerce is focusing on increasing the number of internships available around the state, Lanning said. This fall, it plans to launch a pilot of an online talent retention tool centered on a social networking model, according to Lanning.

Through a Facebook application, Lanning explained, students will be able to create profiles that will facilitate communication between students and local employers and match the two according to the student’s field of work

JESSICA ZHANG/TUFTS DAILY

Massachusetts hopes to encourage college students to stay in Boston even after they have graduated. and interests.

“This website is not just a job board,” Lanning said. “This is a research tool to help connect students with employers.

Employers can send targeted messages to students.”

“Research showed that despite the high number of students coming into [the] Boston area, Massachusetts is losing talent at a faster rate than other states,” Lanning told the Daily. “Massachusetts is not growing its skilled workforce fast enough to meet employers’ needs.”

The Chamber of Commerce, along with the human resources consulting firm Mercer, released in 2008 a report projecting that Massachusetts’ five-year

growth rate for persons over 25 with bachelor’s degrees was less than two percent, ranking among the 10 lowest rates in the country.

Comparatively, leading states such as Nevada, Texas, Arizona and Utah are projected to experience growth rates between 12 and 16 percent, according to the report.

A separate study published by the New England Public Policy Center at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston found that approximately 20 percent of non-native students at New England colleges will remain in New England after graduation.

That report indicated that job avail-

This year’s Programming Board equipped with buffer funds, increased financial control

Police Briefs BLOCK-BUSTER A female student at 12:35 a.m. on Oct. 12 called Tufts University Police Department (TUPD) reporting an intoxicated male in front of her house on College Avenue in Somerville.

The male was blocking access to the house’s entrance.

Arriving at the scene, TUPD officers transported the male, who was not affiliated with Tufts, to Somerville Hospital due to his high level of intoxication.

FUNDS continued from page 1

Students should not have to suffer because of underfunding.”

De Klerk said that costs of Programming Board events are difficult to estiamte, resulting in endof-year cost overruns. “Because of the nature of the programming they do, they can’t plan it in advance,” she said.

“The $30,000 that the Senate approved was passed in order to allow Programming Board to put on large-scale events that were otherwise under-budgeted, such as Winter Bash and Spring Fling,” Fischer said.

Habib said the new Programming Board constitution eliminated sub-group constitutions within the Board and created a single, all-encompassing budget. The changes will take effect next semester.

“Our hope is that it empowers them to take more responsibility over their funds,” de Klerk said.

“They’ll be able to move money more freely between their subgroups and adjust where it’s necessary.”

Fischer and de Klerk said that Programming Board has gone to Senate in the past to cover budget shortfalls. Buffer funds come from the $288 Student Activities Fee each student pays as part of tuition.

Fischer praised the decision.

“Having $30,000 to dip into without having to apply to the Allocations Board is an easier, more efficient way to get funding,” he said.

ability is the principal factor determining whether graduates from Massachusetts schools leave the state. While less than two percent of migrating New England graduates left for reasons relating to housing, almost half of them cited employment reasons for moving.

Jones said Massachusetts ranks among the country’s leaders in revitalizing its state economy, referring to a CNBC report that recognized Massachusetts as number five on its list of America’s Top States for Business 2010. The report also ranked Massachusetts first in the Education category, as well as number three in Technology and Innovation and number two in Access to Capital.

KATJA TORRES/TUFTS DAILY

Concert Board, above in a meeting, is a Programming Board member group. The organization has more money to work with this year, thanks to a buffer fund allocated by the TCU Senate.

“We decided that instead of forcing them to come in every year, we would give them $30,000 that they can then distribute over the course of a year,” de Klerk said.

Office for Campus Life (OCL) Director Joe Golia agreed.

“For such huge events — NQR, Lecture Series, film screenings — it does not make sense for Programming Board to have to buffer funds each year,” Golia said.

“This year, [TCU Senate] gave the money up front so we don’t have to worry about asking for funds later in the year.”

Habib called TCU President Sam Wallis as well as de Klerk “instrumental” in securing funds.

Golia said OCL acts as an advisor for the Programming Board.

“Not every student organization is required to have an advisor, but Programming Board needs one due to the nature of the events they host and plan.”

The sheer size and number of Programming Board events require administrative support from the university and OCL to help coordinate logistical efforts, according to Golia.

“The student members of the Programming Board are the ones doing the work,” Golia said. “We are just here to act as a liaison for campus support systems like TUPD, working with agents for shows, and Alumni Relations.”

Events that involve off-campus contracting, like Winter Bash and Senior Week, require collaboration between the OCL and Programming Board groups, Golia said.

“Office of Campus Life does not make decisions; we are just here to back up students,” Golia said.

Matt Repka contributed reporting to this article.

INSIDE VOICES! TUPD officers at 1:05 a.m. on Oct. 16 heard loud music emanating from the Alpha Tau Omega (ATO) fraternity house at 134 Professors Row and saw people entering and exiting the house. The officers knocked on the door to speak with the residents. A student in the house looked through the peephole and, upon seeing the officer, said: “Lock the keg room and tell everyone to put their cups down because it’s the cops.” TUPD disbanded the party.

FAUX-LOKO A TUPD officer at 12:50 a.m. on Oct. 17 witnessed a female student drinking a beer as she was walking near the intersection of Professors Row and Packard Avenue. When the officer approached, the student threw the can away and claimed that it was a Monster

Energy Drink, but all the officer saw in the trash was a beer can.

COMMUNITY DAY TUPD officers at 1:57 a.m. on Oct. 17 responded to a fight in progress at the rear of the Delta Upsilon (DU) fraternity house located at 114 Professors Row. Several people were involved in the fight, including both Tufts students and non-Tufts individuals.

Officers broke up the dispute and advised everyone of their rights if they wanted to pursue legal action. None of the individuals involved required medical attention.

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OBVIOUS,

A TUPD officer on patrol at 8:45 p.m. on Oct. 18 observed two male students behind Lewis Hall. The officer smelled a strong odor of marijuana. When questioned, the students produced a glass pipe and a small canister that contained a small amount of marijuana. TUPD confiscated and destroyed the items.

—compiled by Alexandra Bogus based on reports from Tufts University Police Department

See tuftsdaily.com for an interactive map.

Features

3

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For some students of faith, religious belief plays a role in dating compatibility BY

DEREK SCHLOM

TIEN TIEN/TUFTS DAILY

For some students, dating people of other faiths conflicts with their own religious values.

Interfaith Relations Committee, said that she has noticed a range of opinions about the importance of dating within one’s own religion.

“I would say that the more observant or devoted someone is — from any religion — the more weight they place on faith in their relationship,” Pierson said. “The point of interfaith events is to get input from all religious groups and to delve into each other’s perspectives, to have open and honest conversations about topics like [interfaith dating].”

Rabbi Danya Ruttenburg, senior Jewish educator at Hillel, agrees that students commonly grapple with issues related to interfaith dating.

“College is a time to sort out who you are, what your identity is, what’s important to you and what kind of life you envision for the long term,” she said. “Who you date … is definitely wrapped up in all of that.”

Tufts Hillel, she said, does not preach any particular attitude with regard to intersee DATING, page 4

Getting up close and personal with professors can either appeal or intimidate BY

RACHEL SHAPIRO

Contributing Writer

On college campuses across the country, prospective students are assured that regardless the size of their classes, professors make themselves accessible to students. Tufts is no exception — true to the promises of admissions representatives, all professors and lecturers are required to hold office hours each week.

Unfortunately, here on the Hill, some students feel more comfortable picking up a cute guy or girl at the Burren than knocking on their professor’s door.

“I’m intimidated to go to office hours,” freshman Caroline Welch said.

Freshman Ariel Lefland agreed and has devised a plan involving a wingman of sorts next time she goes to visit a professor; she and her friend are going to see a biology professor together, she said.“I feel like I have to have a purpose to go,” Lefland said.

Professor Edith Balbach, senior lecturer of community health, feels that office hours can be of great benefit to students and hence tries to help them overcome

When swine flu

L

Daily Editorial Board

Chelsea Clinton and Marc Mezvinsky’s summer wedding brought with it chatter about the secrecy surrounding the event, its guest list and locale — and how the faiths of Clinton, who is Methodist, and Mezvinsky, who is Jewish, would work into the ceremony.

The ensuing conversation about interfaith dating has long taken place on the Hill, too. While dating isn’t typically on the proverbial laundry list of “unholy” college student activities, a prospective partner’s differing religious beliefs can be a deal-breaker for some Jumbos — and they are not alone.

The majority of American adults in marriages or live-in partnerships are in religiously homogenous relationships, according to a 2009 study by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. But a significant 27 percent of those polled overall were in religiously mixed relationships, a number that jumps to 37 percent when relationships between members of different Protestant denominations are included.

Though midterms and upcoming papers may eclipse the issues of dating and marriage for students, the implications of dating outside of one’s faith have come up in discussions among religious groups on campus.

“In the past, we have held programs about” interfaith dating, University Chaplain David O’Leary said. Such programs have included film screenings and discussions facilitated by other university chaplains, he said.

According to O’Leary, interfaith dating need not be a problematic issue.

“I wouldn’t say it is a problem at all.

Eventually dating is supposed to be getting to know other people, and at some point there is a major question that needs to be resolved,” O’Leary said. “People should just be respectful.”

Hillel Interfaith Co-chair Shauna Pierson, a sophomore, said that the pros and cons of dating people of other faiths often become the topic of conversation at Hillel gatherings.

“The topic of interfaith relationships is brought up really often,” Pierson said.

“I think that Hillel is well-suited for conversations about it, because being Jewish encompasses culture and ethnicity along with religion.”

Pierson, who organizes interfaith events with other religious groups along with the other members of Hillel’s

CJ SARACENO | BAN TOGETHER

their discomfort early on in their college careers. Her solution? She makes office hour attendance mandatory.

“I force my freshmen advisees to go to office hours — other than mine — and report back to their classmates about the experience,” Balbach said. “I think it’s good for students to know that there is an hour-and-a-half time slot when they can come find you.”

Balbach encourages all of her students to visit her, whether to ask questions or just to talk. “The great thing is that you don’t have to act like you have something so important to discuss,” she said. “It’s neighborly.”

Senior Evan Steinberg said that while some students are hesitant to attend office hours, they usually recognize that doing so is probably a good idea. Steinberg does not visit his professors regularly, but he sees value in occasional visits.

“It definitely doesn’t hurt to get some solo time with your professor,” he said. “You can get them to answer your specific questions and it lets them know you care.”

Sophomore Quentin Lott feels strongly that all students should take advantage of

office hours as an opportunity to become acquainted with their professors.

“I go to all of my classes’ office hours at the beginning of the semester, just to get to know the professors,” he said.

Lott thinks it is unfortunate that more students do not take the chance to engage with professors, pointing out that professors are not only interesting people but will also be useful resources in the future. At some point, when students look to apply for jobs or to graduate school, they will need recommendations from their professors, he said.

“That is going to be hard if your professors don’t know you,” Lott said.

According to Lott, office hours can be especially helpful for students in large lecture classes, who might not otherwise have the opportunity to establish relationships with their teachers.

Steinberg said the opposite: He goes to office hours more often now that he is in higher-level classes, which tend to have fewer students. see OFFICE HOURS, page 4

ast week, my proposed ban on “gayfriendly” housing weaved its way into the fabric of public discourse at Tufts.

The response was a heated but encouraging one. As evidence, look no further than the slew of comments on the online version of the column. Last night, the Queer Straight Alliance even hosted an event to discuss my ban. Despite this enthusiasm, I recognize the immense difficulty in reshaping institutional constructs; look no further than the Office of Residential Life’s special housing option descriptions. The Rainbow House remains the sole provider of “gay-friendly” atmospheres.

With the difficulty in challenging the herd via institutional amendments, I return to my readers with a more fun, less controversial, grass-roots cause based on conservation.

They come in benign pairs attached to many of your upper body garments, and sometimes they serve no purpose other than to conceal what is natural. They are as commonplace as they are superfluous. The witches of this week’s hunt are sleeves.

Sleeves are tubular coverings for human arms. Long sleeves provide warmth, while short sleeves provide only an unnecessary weight on one’s limbs. Traditional style no longer dictates that sleeves be worn in order to appear fashionable, while the efficient cocktail of indoor heating units and heat-trapping outerwear ensures every individual the right to go about one’s day sans sleeves. Avert the threat of farmer’s tan, conserve fabric and revert to a more simple time, instantly accomplished by removing the sleeves from your short-sleeve shirts. What could be easier?

Before I get too caught up in the physical benefits of “going sleeveless,” I’d like to take some time to point out the immense trendiness of this ban. If this column can ever inspire a real banning, it needs to be socially attractive.

That’s what was holding previous bans back.

For example, it’s no secret that knee-length skirts became ubiquitous and fashionable during World War II when the fabric conservation was necessitated by the war effort. So, too, should the sleeveless trend come about in this post-recession era where values such as thrift and modesty reign supreme. Participants should be willing to parade around sleeveless, host sleeve burnings and dedicate their profile pictures to anti-sleeve propaganda. Doing so will ensure emulation by those in the student body who are out of touch with current events and styles (engineers). This is where my proposed ban against the term “gay-friendly” originally faltered; it was too reminiscent of things that aren’t cool: the Primary Source and satire and rejection of topics considered off limits for discussion. A ban on sleeves represents an oppositional paradigm.

This ban would unite us. With Tufts’ recent plunge into ultimate “bro-dom” after capturing the men’s lacrosse NCAA Div. III championship last spring, the student body needs a way to connect with our newly discovered identity. By re-branding the “sleeveless” style into a quasihippy pursuit, we’d align two polarized campus subcultures: hippies and lacrosse bros.

This alliance would send ripples into the surrounding Tufts social scene, proving that even the most opposite of cliques could put aside differences in order to achieve social justice.

This emboldened class of bros will have the final say as to whether or not hippies can ever be “bros.” Perhaps an arbitration conference could be set up his week in the Mayer Campus Center where both parties could reach an agreement. Hippies could offer teams a newer, broader fan base to support their efforts, while in return, bros could aid hippies in cultivating ultra-feathery flow and undeniable charisma.

The first chance for this coalition to come together will be tomorrow night in Barnum 008, with the screening of senior Arlin Ladue’s landmark documentary “Road to the Championship.” The hipster/hippy/ nerdy film crowd will converge the laxtitute/ lax fan/lax bro/athlete crowds in what I hope to be only the first date in what looks to be a unifying courtship.

CJ Saraceno is a senior majoring in political science. He can be reached at Christopher.

Saraceno@tufts.edu

THE TUFTS DAILY

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Wednesday, October 20, 2010

FEATURES

Religious belief can often complicate dating relationships DATING continued from page 3

TIEN TIEN/TUFTS DAILY

Going to professors’ office hours can be an intimidating activity for some.

Students have mixed feelings about taking advantage of professors’ office hours OFFICE HOURS continued from page 3

“I found that in really big classes, I wouldn’t need to talk to professors about anything,” he said. “But in more difficult classes where I have more freedom to do what I want, I actually need to talk to the professors more.”

Another way for intimidated students to start establishing contact with academic profes-

sionals and receive one-on-one help, freshman Nick Hwang said, is by attending Teaching Assistants’ (TAs) office hours.

“I feel more comfortable going to my TA — I have a really nice TA,” he said. Hwang feels that meeting with a TA is often more desirable than venturing to visit an older and more established professor.

Balbach agrees with Hwang that TAs are a useful resource, and

as a result, puts a lot of importance on picking out approachable and friendly TAs. Since TAs often grade assignments in large lecture classes, Steinberg sometimes feels a greater need to get to know the TA than the professor teaching the class.

“In big lecture classes, it makes more sense to go to the TA because that’s the person who actually grades you,” Steinberg said.

faith dating, and recognizes the choice as a very personal one.

“Interfaith relationships are a reality in our world,” Ruttenberg said. “Our work here is about helping students develop a deep knowledge and understanding of their Judaism and Jewish identity, and to provide a myriad of opportunities to help them do so.”

Senior Kaitlin Zack, president of the Catholic Community at Tufts, said that religion does not appear to be a concern among Catholic students when entering a college relationship.

Catholics date other Catholics and non-Catholics, and the latter is a non-issue, Zack said.

“I dated someone who wasn’t Catholic, and it wasn’t a problem for my parents,” she said. “Maybe it used to be, but that’s really not the case anymore.”

In contrast, senior Benjamin Hampson, a member of the Vision and Planning Team for the Tufts Christian Fellowship, cited a Bible passage that warns against being “yoked together with unbelievers,” which Hampson explained is often interpreted as referring to dating and marriage.

“I think [the verse] speaks to the mutual respect of faith that individuals must have while in a relationship,” Hampson said.

“We must recognize that a relationship with differing faiths will bring conflict at some point, at least [in deciding] what role faith plays in the relationship.”

While in high school, Hampson said his “more personal” faith clashed with a girlfriend he described as only “culturally” Christian, a ten-

sion which led them to end their relationship.

“My values and personal relationship with Jesus made our priorities conflict in a way that would eventually force one of us to yield to the other,” Hampson said. “I believe that it’s not faith or a lack thereof that determines the outcome of a relationship, but how faith constructs priorities and how those priorities interact.”

Unlike Catholics, devout Muslims face stricter rules regarding interfaith dating, according to Muslim Students Association President Ibrahim Khwaja.

“Any intimate relationship before marriage that involves any kind of touching, kissing, hugging or sexual intercourse is completely prohibited within Islam,” both between two Muslims as well as between a Muslim and a non-Muslim, Khwaja, a senior, said.

However, a Muslim man can marry a non-Muslim woman from the other “Abrahamic” religions, which include Judaism and Christianity, Khwaja said.

The same does not hold true for Muslim women. “[Interfaith relationships] come up informally, and we always joke around about whether we’re going to marry a Muslim woman,” Khwaja said.

“It’s on people’s minds, but everyone knows that these are pretty crystal-clear rules that aren’t debated within any of the factions of Islam. Things like this, which aren’t up for debate, don’t really cause any controversy.”

Still, the topic is somewhat taboo, Khwaja said. “We would never discuss it with any girls,” he said. “It’s mostly among the guys.”

Hero Astronaut

Lands at Tufts!

Enjoy a Free SPACE Chat with

Astronaut Rick Hauck A’62

Friday, October 22, 2010 11:30 a.m.

Coolidge Room Ballou Hall, 2nd floor Lunch will be served

Arts & Living

5

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GALLERY REVIEW

‘Shahnama’ exhibit at MFA beautifully illustrates women in Iranian epic poem BY

ANNA MAJESKI

ASHLEY WOOD | FASHION CONTRACEPTIVE

City of celibacy

Daily Editorial Board

The “Shahnama,” popularly known as the national epic of Iran, celebrates its

F

Romantic Interludes: Women in Firdawsi’s Shahnama Through Jan. 16 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston 465 Huntington Ave., Boston 617-267-9300 millennial anniversary this year. Written by Persian poet Abu’l Qasim Firdawsi around the turn of the last millennium, the “Shahnama” records global history, starting with the creation of the world and ending with the Muslim conquest of Persia. The lines of the poem provide a rich textile of characters and plots that has given birth to some of the most beautiful manuscript illumination from the region, with images as colorful and complex as the story itself.

The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA) celebrates the birthday of this important work with “Romantic Interludes: Women in Firdawsi’s Shahnama,” which features illuminations from copies of the “Shahnama.” It is one of three exhibits; the

COURTESY BOSTON MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS

’Romantic Interludes: Women in Firdawsi’s Shahnama,’ an exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts, encourages viewers to consider the historic role of Iranian women. other two, currently at Harvard Art Museum and Houghton Library, explore different facets of the “Shahnama.” The MFA exhibit marks the anniversary of the poem by looking more closely at the “Shahnama’s” rich cast of female charac-

ters, drawing attention to the diverse roles of women in the epic poem, from lovers to diplomats to villains.

The images are divided into three categories: encounters between women and lovers; meetings, trysts and marriages;

and the actions and adventures of powerful women. The individual illuminations provide the viewer with a brief look at these characters, but despite this, the expressive and see SHAHNAMA, page 6

ALBUM REVIEW

THEATER REVIEW

In ‘I Am Not a Human Being,’ Lil Wayne shows signs of complacency

‘Yerma’ uneventful and uninteresting

BY

MELISSA ROBERTS

BY

MARIE PERROT

Daily Editorial Board

Contributing Writer

Lil Wayne’s newest album, “I Am Not a Human Being,” is appropriately titled.

When the curtain rises on Paul Bowles’ “Yerma,” based on the play of the same name by Federico García

I Am Not A Human Being

Yerma

Lil Wayne

Written by Paul Bowles Directed by David Gately At the Boston University Theatre through Oct. 23 Tickets $7

Cash Money Wayne, if anything, is larger than life.

He boasts a staggering list of accomplishments, including platinum albums, Grammy awards and his position as CEO of Young Money. And could any other inmate sell as many T-shirts demanding his freedom?

“I Am Not a Human Being” was recorded shortly before Wayne’s entry to Rikers Island prison, where he served his sentence for weapon and marijuana possession. The tracks off the album were originally intended for the next in the “Tha Carter” series, but Wayne decided to compile them and start from scratch once leaving prison.

Fear not, listeners: The year-long prison sentence has certainly not affected Wayne’s out-of-this-world swagger. Wayne’s world continues to be one filled with women lining up for his affections and bottles constantly being popped.

This music is the soundtrack to debauchery, made to be blasted out of thousanddollar limo speakers. The production is outstandingly smooth, and every song builds to get the blood pumping.

“Right Above It” is particularly notable; it takes full advantage of both speakers and produces a freaky, echoed beat sure to raise

the listener’s heart rate. Wayne’s voice itself sounds unlike any other noise produced in nature, though in the best possible way; as Wayne himself boasts, his voice is closer to a Martian’s than to a human’s.

His voice and musical style are most successful on “I’m Single.” The track stands out from others on the album, with its very slow beat and lack of bumping bass. Here, the synth is used masterfully, in a way any Kid Cudi lover will appreciate.

The song’s alliterated chorus — “I ain’t trippin’ on nothin’/I’m sippin’ on somethin’” — combined with the synth, will zone you out even if you don’t have a drink in your hand. Wayne also manages to stay on topic throughout the whole track, a feat he struggles with through the rest of the album.

Lorca, it reveals the titular character, played by Chelsea Basler, asleep on a chair. A man and a young girl walk down the stairs of the theater to gaze at her motionless body.

Unfortunately for the audience, the plot does not get much more captivating over the next 80 minutes — in fact, viewers may find themselves sleeping in their own chairs by the time the curtain lowers again.

Bowles’ opera, performed by Boston University’s (BU) Opera Institute, revolves around the life of the young Yerma who is unhappily married to a farmer and finds herself tormented by her inability to conceive. As with every BU Opera Institute performance, there are two casts for “Yerma,” each performing in rotation. A viewer who attends on another night may have a completely different cast than that reviewed here.

see WAYNE, page 6

see YERMA, page 6

AMAZON.COM

Lil Wayne disassociates from the human race on his new album.

irst off, I want to apologize for what I’m about to write in regard to “Sex and the City” (1998-2004). I understand that the show generated a very large, loyal fan base, and seeing as I did not watch it in its entirety, my expertise isn’t truly complete. Therefore, I can only be pseudo-confident when I claim that “Sex and the City” is to the fashion industry as “Mein Kampf” (1925) was to the Nazis: inaccurate, yet absurdly effective propaganda.

Like I said, my knowledge of the show is limited. I’ve seen both movies, and I watched a few episodes of the first season in preparation for this column. But from what I’ve gathered, “Sex and the City” is the largest piece of fugly fashion advertising in the history of media. It convinced an entire generation of women that you can run around with satellite-shaped hats, adult tutus, and giant flowers pinned to your boobs, and yet you’ll still get laid.

The only thing that comes close to this level of fashion manipulation is Lady Gaga, but even she admits that in order to find her costumes sexy, you have to redefine your idea of sexiness. On the other hand, “Sex and the City” never questions Carrie Bradshaw’s sex appeal. True love and a lasting marriage may be impossible ideals in the show, but getting hit on while wearing army fatigues and stilettos is not.

To be fair, New York is the fashion capital of America, so it’s possible that the men there are simply conditioned to contraceptive-inducing fashion. But “Sex and the City” didn’t just air in New York. It led nearly every woman with an HBO subscription to believe that there was a positive correlation between sex and fashion, regardless of geographical location.

For example, in “Sex and the City 2” (2010), when the four women venture to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Carrie Bradshaw — played by Sarah Jessica Parker — wows a former flame by wearing a “J’adore Dior”-emblazoned crew-neck T-shirt and the equivalent of a purple picnic blanket as a skirt. Apparently, that’s what fashionable women wear when they visit the Middle East. And that’s also apparently what former boyfriends fantasize about their ex-girlfriends wearing when they’re reunited.

We can trace these oxymoronic moments all the way back to the first season, when Carrie goes on her first date with the enigmatic “Mr. Big,” wearing furry, pink Dolce & Gabbana sandals and a feather boa. This man, undeterred by her likeness to a flamingo, goes on to marry Carrie in the first “Sex and the City” film (2008).

Now, it’s not that designer brands like Dolce & Gabbana never make anything sexy. In fact, their Fall/Winter 2010/2011 line seems to suggest that women’s suits don’t require pants, but should rather be paired with shiny, spandex underwear — like a more chic Tom Cruise in “Risky Business” (1983).

But the fact stands that the one time I wore a piece from the well-respected Italian line, it resulted in nothing even close to a marriage proposal. I only attracted the sexual interest of a friend’s male dinner guest, which my friend rationalized by explaining, “Joe just likes girls who dress weird.”

It may not have been very eloquent, but that statement made a lot of sense. Either Sarah Jessica Parker’s sexiness is so exuberant that her clothing is irrelevant, or New York is just full of men who like women who “dress weird.” Therefore, assuming you like sex as much as Carrie does, I would suggest saving any fashion forward outfits for your next trip to the Big Apple.

Ashley Wood is a junior majoring in English. She can be reached at Ashley.

Wood@tufts.edu.

THE TUFTS DAILY

6

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

ARTS & LIVING

Melodramatic themes and excessive repetition turn viewers off ‘Yerma’ YERMA continued from page 5

“Yerma” dissects the cultural norms and the monotony of life in rural Spain in the 1930s. The traditional scene focuses on men at work and absent from the home, while women cook, clean and rear enough children to form a little league, à la Angelina Jolie.

However, for those of us uninterested in the quotidian activities executed by the title character, Yerma’s hour-long, overdramatic plea for a child to hold — or considering her desperation, smother — falls short of being appealing.

Not only is the script highly predictable due to its repetitiveness — specifically, “I want a baby,” “I need a baby” and, “Please, God, give me a baby” — but it is also filled with banal vocabulary, turning this supposedly poetic play into a melodramatic and whiny discourse. Instead of subtly implying the societal values and the prejudice imposed on Yerma due to her infertility, Yerma’s experiences are blatantly announced to the point where the piece becomes unrealistic.

There are incongruous aspects to the script. Many believe the original play helped lead to Lorca’s murder because of its challenging stance against the Catholic Church, yet Bowles’ opera is far from controversial. Yerma’s long-lost childhood love, Victor (John Irvin), appears

COURTESY BU PHOTOGRAPHY

The Boston University Opera Institute captures the tedium of rural Spanish life in “Yerma.” out of nowhere, and a love triangle between the two of them and Yerma’s husband Juan (Daniel Solomon) surfaces suddenly, without any real explanation.

The set is best described as minimalistic. The darkened theater is illuminated by colorful lanterns hung from the ceiling, which provide a nice Spanish touch and highlight a stage nearly barren of fixtures.

The costumes represent realistically a lower-class rural setting: The cast

dons worn-down, faded clothes, featuring mostly ill-fitted floral dresses and holey sweaters. However, since the script alone did not contain much to hold a viewer’s attention, it was a disappointment that neither an ornate set nor colorful, extravagant costumes were present to act as substitutes.

Waiting for the climax was comparable to waiting for Godot — it never really came. If “Yerma” does have a vertex, it is the sudden, unex-

pected twist at the very end of the play, when some action finally takes place. But at the precise moment when things get interesting, the play ends, leaving the audience bewildered as to whether or not to clap or to wait for some sort of closure. It is as though the play ends mid-scene.

However, most of these shortfalls are the fault of the piece itself — the cast’s talent cannot be disregarded.

Basler has a phenomenal voice.

Although the melodies themselves

Poem comes to life in illuminations of ‘Shahnama’ SHAHNAMA continued from page 5

detailed nature of the illuminations allows us to reconstruct the dynamic between women and their surroundings.

An illumination from the first section — encounters between women and lovers — illustrates this depth. The illumination, “Meeting of Zal and Rudaba” is taken from an Iranian version of the “Shahnama” produced during the Inju period in 1341.

Executed in ink, opaque watercolor and gold on paper, the image shows the female heroine — Rudaba, a daughter of the King of Kabul — greeting her warrior-lover Zal. She stands on the parapets of a castle, looking down at Zal, who rides in on horseback from the right, accompanied by a servant.

The illumination is rendered in simple lines highlighted with traces of red and gold leaf, and special attention is given to the ornately patterned costumes of the figures. Rudaba and Zal are perfectly matched in the image, Rudaba looking down at Zal whose position and gaze mirrors hers. The image does not illustrate a hierarchy but a matched pair, each engaging in the other’s gaze equally.

An example of a more sinister image of a woman is explored in the second section, meetings, trysts and marriages. The illumina-

tion, “Shirin Greets Khusraw Returning from Hunt,” is taken from a Safavid period manuscript produced in the late 16th century. Again executed in ink, opaque watercolor and gold leaf on paper, it is an opulent image full of pattern and color. It shows Shirin, a Christian princess, whom the Prince Khusraw took as his lover but was later forced to abandon, attempting to win back the prince’s affections. Her attendant, standing next to her, pours something out of a dish onto the ground below. Our eye follows this path to the figure of Prince Khusraw, who sits astride his horse. The Prince’s entourage of men on horseback occupies the right side of the page and is finely draw in sensitive colors.

Shirin’s pleadings for the attention of Khusraw are almost lost in the melee of pattern and color, but the artist manages to maintain the dialogue between the lovers with the path formed by the pouring attendant. Shirin eventually marries Prince Khusraw — against his advisors’ wishes — and she proceeds to manipulate him, murder a rival wife and finally commit suicide.

Even in this early moment in her story, the illumination successfully conveys the power Shirin has over the prince.

The final section — the actions and adventures of powerful women — features an image of the mythical Bilqis, otherwise

known as the Queen of Sheba. The folio, “Court of Bilqis,” is from another Safavid period manuscript, this time from the third quarter of the 16th century, again executed in opaque watercolor, ink and gold on paper. It is an image of a mythical landscape. Bilqis sits enthroned on a magnificent dais in a room that opens onto the surrounding landscape. Female attendants and entertainers surround her, and she is the center of all the action in the image. Bilqis reigns supreme in this female world as the ruler of a beautiful and well-ordered realm. On her right, though, a demon sneaks into the image, potentially disrupting Bilqis’ peaceful reign. The theme of paradise lost is featured prominently in the “Shahnama,” and the creation of the world starts with the disruption of paradise.

“Romantic Interludes: Women in Firdawsi’s Shahnama” provides an interesting look at some of the female characters in the epic poem. The beautifully executed and detailed representations in the illuminations often supersedes the text itself — and viewers will find a complex narrative in all of the images. The female characters support and expand the dynamic narrative created by these amazing illuminations.

COURTESY BOSTON MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS

The illuminations in the ‘Shahnama’ exhibit breathe life into a text celebrating its millennial birthday.

were not enthralling, the musicians were tight, and not a single note was sung off-key. The actors performed very sincerely and depicted their roles very believably. Yet the silver lining of the solid acting could not compensate for the halting and slow-paced play itself.

Considering that their talent still shone through in “Yerma,” it’s definitely worth checking out this cast onstage. You should just do so in a different production.

Wayne’s latest venture lukewarm WAYNE continued from page 5

Wayne spends the majority of the album free-associating. Couplets dominate, and when Wayne pauses in between them, listeners are left waiting for a good punch line — and are sometimes left hanging.

Wayne occasionally manages to deliver a good line, such as, “I see her when I want/Call that viewer’s choice” (from the song “Popular”). But many, like “And they say money talks/Well, it’s my spokesperson” (from “Hold Up”), fall short.

With his narrow topic range, it’s expected that some of his declarations will be trite and some of his jokes unfunny. The tracks “Gonerrhea” and “That Ain’t Me” are full of hackneyed declarations, and, worse still, the couplets just don’t link up.

Paired with an uninspired delivery, some tracks are ultimately forgettable. On “That Ain’t Me” and “Bill Gates,” Wayne simply lacks enthusiasm, as though he’s reading the lyrics off a sheet of paper. The rapper brags here about how he’s made it, but it seems more like now that he knows he’s made it, he no longer cares about convincing us why he deserved it.

Despite this less-than-impressive delivery and thematic incoherence, Wayne’s flow is relatively consistent throughout the album. “Hold Up” is filled with wordplay and internal rhymes, and also has the most varied rapping.

Wayne is at his best when mixing up the rhyme scheme in this way, as well as in “What’s Wrong With Them.” And he definitely deserves credit for rhyming “crazy” with “Martin Scorsese.”

Even though Wayne’s rapping on this album doesn’t quite meet listeners’ high expectations, he still knows how to create hits. He chooses the right people to collaborate with and lets them sing the catchy choruses. Nicki Minaj’s voice on “What’s Wrong With Them” and Lil Twist’s on “Popular” will get stuck in your head all day.

Lil Wayne set the bar high with “Tha Carter III” (2008) and does not match its rapping consistency on “I Am Not a Human Being.” But his new album is not an exploration of identity or a political commentary; it is a declaration that Wayne has already made it big.

Unfortunately, since he already knows it, Wayne doesn’t try very hard to prove to listeners that he is — in his own eyes at least — the best rapper alive. So while some of his new singles might not be memorable, they will still go perfectly with your strut.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

THE TUFTS DAILY

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LOOKING TO VOLUNTEER? LCS has both one-time and long-term volunteer projects for you!

Halloween on the Hill OCTOBER 30, 2010 11am-3pm Help give the kids of Medford and Somerville a fun and safe Halloween! Volunteer from 11-3 on Saturday 10/30 for haunted houses, a magic show, and decorating cookies with the kids GRADES K-2. Volunteers and group leaders needed.

Email Halloween.hill@gmail.com if you’re interested!

C.H.I.L.D Volunteer one-on-one with a developmentally disabled child from the community! Spend an hour playing games and doing art projects, and an hour swimming in the Gantcher Center. Dates for this semester are 10/16, 10/23, 10/30, 11/6 from 10am-12pm.

Contact Cassie Bannos at lcsCHILD@gmail.com.

lcs: community service for a more socially responsible world Visit us at ase.tufts.edu/lcs or e-mail us at lcs@tufts.edu for more opportunities!

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THE TUFTS DAILY

EDITORIAL

Office hours: A word of advice

BENJAMIN D. GITTLESON Editor-in-Chief

EDITORIAL Managing Editors

Ellen Kan Carter Rogers Matt Repka Executive News Editor Alexandra Bogus News Editors Michael Del Moro Nina Ford Amelie Hecht Corinne Segal Martha Shanahan Brent Yarnell Jenny White Daphne Kolios Assistant News Editors Kathryn Olson Romy Oltuski Executive Features Editor Sarah Korones Features Editors Alison Lisnow Emilia Luna Alexa Sasanow Derek Schlom Jon Cheng Assistant Features Editors Maya Kohli Amelia Quinn Emma Bushnell Executive Arts Editor Zach Drucker Arts Editors Mitchell Geller Rebecca Goldberg Benjamin Phelps Anna Majeski Assistant Arts Editors Rebecca Santiago Matthew Welch Rachel Oldfield Larissa Gibbs Elaine Sun Seth Teleky Devon Colmer Erin Marshall Lorrayne Shen Louie Zong Rebekah Liebermann Ashish Malhotra Josh Molofsky Alexandra Siegel

Executive Op-Ed Editor Assistant Op-Ed Editors

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

EDITORIAL | LETTERS

Office hours are a valuable resource for students and an integral component of their academic experience. It is also essential to the role of educator that faculty members play. Despite this, many students don’t take full advantage of them, and many professors don’t take the necessary steps to encourage students to drop by. However, just by following a few simple steps, more students can benefit from office hours — and professors may learn a thing or two as well.

Attending a school that has a price tag north of $50,000 is definitely not something to be taken lightly. Coming here means paying for something greater than the average college experience, something more than being just another face in a crowded lecture hall. The total college experience means learning things other than what’s outlined in a syllabus. This is something that’s almost impossible to do as an anonymous face in a class, which is why it’s so important to approach professors early on in one’s undergraduate career.

Whether it’s for a massive lecture or a seminar class, visiting professors during their office hours is the start of forming a more personal relationship with them.

These relationships can be enriching and potentially valuable later on in college. Just imagine having a friend with a doctoral degree who just happens to be around at all (reasonable) times, readily available for help

whenever necessary. Sounds like a good resource to have, right?

Teaching Assistants (TAs) are also useful resources. Talking to TAs about some concerns — or just talking in general — can be helpful, especially if one has minor questions or is more comfortable speaking to someone closer to their own age. Dividing time between professors and TAs not only helps to get a variety of opinions, but it also helps to form relationships with two different people, who can both be helpful.

Many well-intentioned professors lament the fact that they sit alone in their offices with no visits from their students, but by taking a few simple steps, professors can better encourage students to drop by during office hours when they have questions, in the process fostering valuable, lasting relationships between Jumbos and faculty members.

First off, there are a few logistical items to address. Knocking on the closed door of a professor’s office after overhearing a heated debate on the causes of the SovietAfghan war can be a little intimidating, so it is vital that professors simply leave their doors open and try to look friendly when a student walks in. Furthermore, if office hours are before 9:00 a.m. or exclusively offered during a popular class block — say 10:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays — most students will prob-

ably be unable or disinclined to make it to their professor’s office hours.

On a more general level, it is essential for faculty members to let students know right away that they are welcome to drop by their offices, even if it’s just to chat about an interesting reading or a chart shown in class. Coming to office hours shouldn’t simply be a time to complain about a bad grade or to stress out about an upcoming assignment, it should be a chance to for students to get to know professors on a personal and academic level.

Recognizing this, more professors should invite students to meet at Tower Café for coffee or just encourage students to come see them outside of class. And when a shy freshman does pluck up the courage to stop by a professor’s office, it’s key to make him or her feel welcome.

Who knows, a student might be able to help with research for a professor’s upcoming book, or at very least, will probably write up a positive evaluation at the end of the semester.

Forming lasting relationships with professors is a vital part of our university education and the professor-student dynamic is the backbone of any educational institution. We are lucky enough to attend an institution with many talented and renowned faculty members, so it’s time to take advantage of it.

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OFF THE HILL | UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT

McDonald’s law will not end obesity epidemic BY

THE DAILY CAMPUS EDITORIAL BOARD The Daily Campus

San Francisco is moving forward with a city ordinance that would ban toys from McDonald’s Happy Meals. The city wants the toys pulled unless McDonald’s adds fruit and vegetable options and limits sodium, sugar and fat content.

The ordinance was designed with McDonald’s in mind, but its demands apply to all restaurants.

This ordinance is a silly attempt to lower childhood obesity. There is no evidence that banning toys from Happy Meals will lower the obesity rate or that adding choices for fruit and vegetables will do the same. McDonald’s began offering its premium salad in 2003, but the obesity rate still climbed. Making further alterations to its menu will not fix the root causes of obesity in the nation.

Yes, children like the toys in Happy Meals and sometimes they don’t even eat the food because all they want is the toy.

Supporters might be relying on the following scenario: If there are no toys in Happy Meals, children will concentrate on their food, realize how bad it is, and never want to go to McDonald’s again. But this idea is

EDITORIAL POLICY Editorials that appear on this page are written by the editorialists, and individual editors are not necessarily responsible for, or in agreement with, the policies and editorials of The Tufts Daily. The content of letters, advertisements, signed columns, cartoons and graphics does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Tufts Daily editorial board.

flawed. Undoubtedly, some spoiled children will still throw fits because they want their french fries and chicken nuggets.

But it is the responsibility of the parents to put their foot down and stand up to their children. If they care about their kids, they will make them eat healthier, not cater to their every whim.

McDonald’s is a private business, not a public service. Therefore, it should not have to pay for the poor choices parents make. McDonald’s offers healthier, low-calorie alternatives to the traditional Happy Meal. Parents who can afford the more expensive options should consider getting a Premier Caesar Salad (without chicken) for 90 calories instead of the 540-calorie Big Mac. Or they can consider having children eat their own adult portions that have fewer calories. Or they can choose to skip McDonald’s altogether. When McDonald’s sees its profits tank, it will reevaluate its nutritional policy.

Regulatory ordinances like this one take the responsibility away from individuals and place it on the government. Parents should control what food their children eat and if they cannot, the problem is theirs. Fifty years from now, will residents of San Francisco be able to take care of themselves?

This ordinance isn’t about McDonald’s responsibility to provide healthier options for its customers; it’s about regulating public health. San Francisco recently banned the sale of tobacco in grocery stores and big-box retailers, like Wal-Mart, with in-store pharmacies. Mayor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order banning Coca Cola and Pepsi from vending machines located on city property. Thankfully, the mayor has promised to veto [the “Happy Meal”] measure because of its threat to local chains, not just McDonald’s. Businesses are hurting enough. They cannot afford to spend even more money complying with futile regulations.

Then there is the money problem. Most people buy from McDonald’s because they get a lot of food for very little money.

With the [cost] of living going up every year, McDonald’s is an economic necessity — especially to the poor. If poor families could afford to eat organic, “allnatural” food, they would. The Dollar Menu keeps their children from starving.

To solve the obesity crisis, there must be healthier and cheaper food for poor families. Until then, regulations like San Francisco’s will go nowhere.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letters must be submitted by 4 p.m. and should be handed into the Daily office or sent to letters@tuftsdaily.com. All letters must be word processed and include the writer’s name and telephone number. There is a 450-word limit and letters must be verified. The editors reserve the right to edit letters for clarity, space and length.

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Wednesday, October 20, 2010

9

OP-ED

The Primary Source of willful ignorance

BY STEPHEN

GOEMAN AND DAVID JOHNSON

The Tufts Freethought Society ( TFS) would like to formally thank The Primary Source for their blurb about the call for a Humanist chaplaincy in their Oct. 6 issue. As we write our opeds, we consider whether the attacks against Humanism and the proposed chaplaincy are too akin to strawmen to warrant consideration, much less active rebutting, on our part. Do people actually harbor such simplistic and extreme beliefs about our proposal?

The Source puts our fears to rest when they write, “The freethinkers want an equal right to pray to … nothing and an equal right to spiritual advice for ... a soul they don’t believe they have.” This suggestion, clearly the result of a vain attempt to be thoughtprovoking or insightful, shows that the Source is ignorant of both what a Humanist chaplaincy is, as well as how mainstream theological chaplains function.

Not only are we insulted, but the other chaplains should be outraged as well. The comments made by the Source imply that chaplaincy work is limited in scope to prayer and concerns of the soul. Such comments completely ignore the considerable efforts put forth by Tufts’ current chaplains: providing a sense of belonging, community and civic outreach, personal guidance, interfaith activism, ritual services, etc.

The Source’s comments demonstrate a clear lack of understanding of the role of a chaplain on campus. Furthermore, the Source put little time into researching what this role may be, or how a Humanist may serve as a chaplain.

Perhaps the Source should spend more time ridiculing their fact checkers who seem to have overlooked the existence of the Humanist Chaplaincy at Harvard University, which has been providing non-believers at Harvard with a sense of belonging, access to secular community service and personal aid for over 30 years.

One is immediately reminded of the incident in 2006-07 when the Source published an article about Islam that managed to outrage even University President Lawrence Bacow, who wrote: “What is particularly troubling about the Source article is that, yet again, a discrete minority within our com-

munity has been singled out for ridicule. And once again, the article is unsigned. No one seems willing to take personal responsibility for this particular expression of opinion.”

Such is the case with the latest drivel from the Source aimed directly at Tufts’ potential Humanist chaplaincy.

The piece is unsigned, written under the banner of “From the Elephant’s Mouth.” As firsthand witnesses of the community’s support for our initiative to establish a Humanist chaplaincy, it strikes us as disingenuous and unfair to suggest that this offensive paragraph is a common opinion held by Jumbos, as the title implies.

Alright, so what about all of this prayer and soul business? We went back and counted the number of times TFS used the words “prayer” or “soul” in the last two years as a means of advocating for the Humanist chaplaincy through our own op-eds or articles written by members of the Daily. Not surprisingly, the number is zero. It is insulting that the Source would assume TFS to be so cloddish as to consider such obviously hypocritical ideas. Given the absurdity of these charges, it is difficult to decide how to move forward. We could present (i.e. repeat) arguments in our defense, write an unrelated op-ed or ignore the issue. It should be clear by now which path we have chosen.

Yes, the Humanist chaplain would be different from the other chaplains.

We do not believe in God nor do we believe in the efficacy of prayer or the importance of the soul. However, we do care about our community, we care about philanthropy, and we have questions that counselors are not equipped to answer: questions about ethics or morality, for example. A good friend pointed out that one would not want to turn to a counselor or therapist who is trained in understanding mental problems when one has an ethical, moral or metaphysical dilemma. Just as a chaplain is not fully equipped to deal with depression or bipolar disorder, a counselor is not prepared to answer these kinds of questions from a nonreligious and Humanist perspective.

While there is some overlap between the supportive roles of a chaplain and a counselor, it by no means eradicates the need for either.

All of this talk about what TFS wants

AALOK KANANI/TUFTS DAILY

and does not want has been addressed before. But perhaps by reiterating our point here, we will increase the likelihood that someone from the Source will read our articles. If they do, they might be surprised to learn that we are not interested in prayer or souls and even have a response to their cute quip about counselors and therapists serving as secular advice givers. Perhaps the next blurb about the Humanist chaplaincy from the Source will demonstrate a

clear understanding of the arguments presented here and elsewhere, or at any rate, will have someone willing to sign his or her name to it.

Stephen Goemen is a sophomore who has not yet declared a major. He is a member of the Tufts Freethought Society. David Johnson is a senior majoring in physics and philosophy. He is the president of the Tufts Freethought Society.

CAMPUS CANVAS | SIGAL HIRSCH

October is a month dedicated to many things, including domestic abuse awareness. As we come off of the suicides of six LGBT teens who suffered bullying, harassment and abuse, Tufts Social Justice Arts Initiative — a student-run group that seeks to use as many artistic mediums as possible to address issues of social justice — over the next two weeks will be running a series of comics starring ‘Alex’ that address the issue of domestic abuse outside of its traditional definition of only occurring between two individuals in some sort of “romantic”

relationship. Rather, we take “domestic” from its Latin domesticus, for “of the house” or “belonging to the household.” Within this definition, domestic abuse can occur between friends, in relationships, or among larger peer groups or social circles. As you read the comics, ask yourself — do you know Alex?

Alex is seen in this strip as being the nice roommate who is taken advantage of by the roommate. Often, individuals are unable to or don’t want to refuse requests made by others, with reasons ranging from a severe lack of self-esteem

to a traumatic past involving abuse for refusing another’s wishes or commands. Whether it’s abusing the kindness of others or feeding into more serious individual challenges, we must be careful not to be like the abuser in this situation. The question is: “Do you know Alex?”

Sigal Hirsch is a senior majoring in Middle Eastern studies. She is a member of the Tufts Social Justice Arts Initiative.

OP-ED POLICY The Op-Ed section of The Tufts Daily, an open forum for campus editorial commentary, is printed Monday through Thursday. The Daily welcomes submissions from all members of the Tufts community; the opinions expressed in the Op-Ed section do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Daily itself. Opinion articles on campus, national and international issues should be 600 to 1,200 words in length. Op-Ed cartoons are also welcomed for the Campus Canvas feature. All material is subject to editorial discretion and is not guaranteed to appear in the Daily. All material should be submitted to oped@tuftsdaily.com no later than 12 p.m. on the day prior to the desired day of publication; authors must submit their telephone numbers and day-of availability for editing questions. Submissions may not be published elsewhere prior to their appearance in the Daily, including but not limited to other on- and off-campus newspapers, magazines, blogs and online news websites, as well as Facebook. Republishing of the same piece in a different source is permissible as long as the Daily is credited with originally running the article.

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10

COMICS

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

DOONESBURY

CROSSWORD

BY

GARRY TRUDEAU

NON SEQUITUR

BY

TUESDAY’S SOLUTION

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Wednesday, October 20, 2010

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Defeating Religious Terrorism: What Will It Take?

Institute for Global Leadership INSPIRE Fellow

PERVEZ HOODBHOY Pervez Hoodbhoy is professor of nuclear and high energy physics, as well as chairman, at the department of physics, Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan. He remains an active physicist who often lectures at US and European research laboratories and universities. He is the author of Islam and Science: Religious Orthodoxy and the Battle for Rationality, now in seven languages. In 2003, Dr. Hoodbhoy was invited to the Pugwash Council. He is the chairman of Mashal, a non-profit organization which publishes Urdu books on women’s rights, education, environmental issues, philosophy, and modern thought. Over a period of 25 years, Dr. Hoodbhoy created and anchored a series of television programs that dissected the problems of Pakistan’s education system, and two other series that aimed at bringing scientific concepts to ordinary members of the public. He is a sponsor of The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, and a member of the Permanent Monitoring Panel on Terrorism of the World Federation of Scientists. Dr. Hoodbhoy is a recipient of the Dr. Jean Mayer Global Citizenship Award from the Institute and is an INSPIRE Fellow this fall.

“Dr. Pervez Hoodbhoy is undoubtedly one of Pakistan’s leading intellectuals. He does what intellectuals are meant to do. He makes us think. He forces us to ask questions that we avoid and he challenges us to question the easy answers.”

-- Adil Najam, Director of the Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future, Boston University

TONIGHT, WEDNESDY, OCTOBER 20 7:00PM, BARNUM 008 For more information: x73314 or www.tuftsgloballeadership.org

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INSIDE THE WESTERN CONFERENCE

Lakers still the team to beat in the Western Conference

Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets could surprise; Oklahoma City Thunder a trendy sleeper BY

PAUL MCBRIDE

Contributing Writer

Due to the inordinate amount of media coverage given to the Miami Heat during the offseason, nearly every other team in the NBA took a backseat in the public’s eye. Still, having won nine of the past 12 NBA Championships, the Western Conference has been superior to its Eastern counterpart for a number of years, and this year should be no exception.

The Los Angeles Lakers will once again lead the way in the West, fresh off another ring being added to Kobe Bryant’s hand. This team has all of the major components to make another run, with Bryant leading a star-studded supporting cast that includes Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, Derek Fisher, Andrew Bynum, the recently-added pot-stirrer Matt Barnes and the always-entertaining Ron Artest. The Lakers’ biggest cause for concern, however, will be injuries. Kobe is not yet at full-speed after undergoing off-season knee surgery, and Bynum has only played one complete season in his career.

The Dallas Mavericks return once again looking to unseat the Lakers as best in the West. Dirk Nowitzki remains one of the most consistent scorers in the NBA, and will be complemented by a steady supporting cast featuring Jason Kidd, Caron Butler, Shawn Marion and Tyson Chandler. Out of that group, only Chandler has not been to multiple AllStar Games. The Mavericks’ veteranheavy squad has the experience to match up with the Lakers, but they may not have the depth to hang with Los Angeles for a full seven-game series come playoff time.

The Denver Nuggets have almost all the pieces to contend again, but the lingering free agency of Carmelo Anthony will remain the most important storyline for this squad. If Anthony stays in the Mile High City, he’ll stick around with hometown hero Chauncey Billups, hotand-cold J.R. Smith, injury-prone stars Nene and Kenyon Martin and the recently added, mid-level player in Al Harrington.

But if they decide to trade Anthony in an effort to extract value before he likely departs, the Nuggets’ hopes of an NBA title will go out the door as well.

The Oklahoma City Thunder and Kevin Durant are a match made in heaven. This past season, Durant led

MCT

Carmelo Anthony is the Denver Nuggets’ most important player, but the impending free agent could be wearing a different jersey by the season’s end. this incredibly young squad to its first playoffs in the team’s new location of Oklahoma City and became the youngest player to lead the league in scoring. Durant’s sidekick is explosive point guard Russell Westbrook, who continued his improvement at the summer’s World Championships. The sky is the limit for the Thunder, and if they don’t make a deep run in the postseason this year, they surely will in seasons to come.

The Portland Trail Blazers are one of the more intriguing squads of the NBA. They have an extremely talented yet largely unknown roster. With Marcus Camby, Andre Miller, LaMarcus Aldridge, Greg Oden and Brandon Roy, the Blazers have the ability to go far. Injuries, however, have plagued this team for the past few seasons, especially hitting hard with Roy and Oden, the latter of whom hasn’t even played a full season since coming

into the league in 2008. If they can stay healthy, the Blazers will be the Western Conference sleeper team that no one wants to face heading into the playoffs.

The biggest question facing the Phoenix Suns is how they will cope with the loss of Amar’e Stoudemire, who bolted for a more lucrative contract with the New York Knicks. Their biggest acquisition was Hedo Turkoglu, who was coming off of a disappointing season spent in Toronto, but showed flashes of brilliance while playing a supporting role with Orlando the previous season. Many are expecting this Suns team to drop off, but the addition of Turkoglu to an already potent squad that includes Jason Richardson, Grant Hill and Robin Lopez makes the Suns another dark horse in the deep Western conference. Steve Nash is simply too good to not lead the Suns to the play-

offs, but a lack of size and defensive talent means that they aren’t necessarily true contenders.

Rounding out the top contenders, look for the Los Angeles Clippers to finally make the playoffs, as their luck has finally seemed to turn, and for the San Antonio Spurs to once again be in the mix, though they may be heavily slowed down as the silver has turned into grey for this aging team.

Furthermore, the Utah Jazz, Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies and New Orleans Hornets all have legitimate postseason aspirations. While the Eastern Conference has a clear divide after its top three teams — who should waltz through their respective conference schedules — the West will be the conference to watch as quality teams battle all season long for each of the eight playoff spots.

Hutchings makes waves in singlehanded C Division this weekend SAILING continued from page 16

“One of the things that we need to work on most now is our mental game,” Magee said. “We tend to get into ruts once we have one bad race and have trouble getting back on our game and coming back from it.”

“When sailing, if you are stuck in a bad mental state, it is impossible to sail well because you don’t focus on the important things such as finding the next shift and being patient and rational when making decisions about where to go on the course,” she continued. “Being in a bad mental state also leads to careless errors.”

In the B division, junior Massimo Soriano and crewmembers — senior Margaret Rew and freshman Cameron Barclift — finished in an impressive fourth place with 139

points. Rew sailed the first and second races and 12 through 20, while Barclift sailed three through 11.

Rew believed the positive finish was due to consistency and effective strategies.

“We were incredibly consistent and that made a big difference in a tight fleet,” she said. “Consistent top-five finishes the first day had us leading for a long time. We were fast and sailed conservatively. We learned from all the big mistakes we had made in the past couple weekends and avoided them, capitalizing on other teams’ mistakes instead.

“We also showed a good deal of flexibility — we were able to sail fast in the wide range of conditions Navy threw at us this weekend, anything from 25 knots and gusty to five knots and choppy,” Rew continued. “Those conditions require very

different skill sets, and we’ve been working to develop all of them.”

“We tend to get into ruts once we have one bad race and have trouble getting back on our game and coming back from it.”

Roisin Magee senior, A Division crew In the C Division, sophomore Will Hutchings sailed to a sixthplace finish. Albert Nichols, also a sophomore, sailed the D Division until a back injury put him out of action. Barclift, hav-

ing completed his round of duty crewing in the B Division, took the helm in the rest of the D Division races. The boat finished 14th in the division.

Meanwhile, the women’s team sailed at Yale’s Intersectional Regatta, coming in a disappointing 15th out of 18 teams.

A Division skipper senior Meghan Pesch and her crewmember junior Marina Miaoulis sailed to a 12th-place finish. The B Division boat was skippered by junior Renee Gagne, with freshman Margaret Bacon and junior Midori Tanaka as crew. The boat came in 15th in its division.

Pesch believed that not executing their game plan combined with overpowering windy conditions affected the results the most.

“A lot of the time, we would come up with a game plan for the

race, but then we might have gotten held out to a side so we couldn’t execute what we wanted to,” she said. “Looking to the future, I think taking the time to slow down a bit and have the ability to tack and go where you want is better for your finish, rather then being forced to the wrong side of the course.”

Due to the rough conditions, the races were postponed until late afternoon Saturday, and on Sunday there was plenty of chop to for the sailors to navigate through. Both the A and B Division boats capsized at some point over the regatta due to the conditions, while consistent, small mistakes hindered any chances of success.

This weekend, the Jumbos will look to improve their results at the Sherman Hoyt Trophy regatta, hosted by Brown, where last year the team finished 11th out of 18 teams.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

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Centre of South Asian and Indian Ocean Studies Presents We’re Making the Call--to the Station House Chilifest Tufts University Dining Services at Carmichael Dining Hall has arranged for our local Police and Fire stations to join us for lunch

Wednesday October 20 11:00AM-2:00PM

‘ The Challenges of Political Justice in Bangladesh’ Lecture by: Jalal Alamgir Associate Professor of Political Science University of Massachusetts, Boston Crowe Room, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy October 20, 5:30pm – 7:30 pm

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Wednesday, October 20, 2010

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INSIDE THE EASTERN CONFERENCE

ETHAN FRIGON | THE BEARD ABIDES

Heat, Celtics and Magic all contenders for the Eastern Conference crown BY

How I learned to stop worrying y g and love the BCS

ALEX LACH

Daily Editorial Board

The NBA season tips off in just a week, and with Allen “the Answer” Iverson rumored to be headed to Turkey, the Eastern Conference is left with a number of questions. Will the Miami Heat gel faster than Pat Riley’s hair? Will the Boston Celtics have time to fit AARP meetings into their already tight schedule? Will Vince Carter once again lead the league in winces and grimaces, or will he set a career-high in minutes played through pain?

Jokes aside, Wednesday’s matchup pits the absurdly talented Heat against the seasoned Celtics to kick off one of the most anticipated seasons in recent history. Those two teams, along with the Orlando Magic, constitute the triumvirate that figures to battle for the number one seed all season long.

Anyone with a TV, radio, phone, internet connection, magazine subscription or access to Pony Express was bombarded all summer with information about Riley’s coup and the Heat’s new fierce All-Star trio of Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh.

In lower-key news, Miami was also able to sign veterans Eddie House and Mike Miller, as well as re-sign Udonis Haslem and Joel Anthony to round out its roster.

While the Heat will have to rely heavily on its trio, as far as trios go, it is one of the most talented ever assembled. Wade and James both fearlessly attack the basket, can pull up for midrange jumpers and, on nights when they’re both hitting outside shots, are impossible to defend against. Bosh possesses a slew of post moves and his range extends past 20 feet. On occasion, he can stretch it into threepoint land. Don’t expect this team to slouch on defense either: Wade and James have combined to make five All-NBA Defensive teams, and are not only premier on-the-ball defenders, but are also both among the league’s best at chasing down breakaway layups. These factors, and the unlimited potential present on its roster, make the Heat the preseason favorite for the Eastern Conference title.

Until they are dethroned, however, the Celtics are still the conference champs. The team came within six minutes of an NBA title a season ago, and appears to have gotten healthier, deeper and more experienced. Many claim the key to the season rests on the health of Kevin Garnett’s knee. If he truly is as explosive as he claims, he could add a post-up dynamic that was missing on this team a year ago.

The signings of the O’Neal towers — Shaquille and Jermaine — and Delonte West bring much-needed size and shooting to a bench that was lacking in both departments last season, while holdovers Nate Robinson, Marquis Daniels and Glen Davis round out arguably the deepest bench in the league.

Yet, the team’s fortunes may rest on the abnormally broad shoulders of Rajon Rondo. At times during last year’s playoffs, he proved to be a uniquely un-guardable guard with his ability to make game-changing plays on both ends of the court. His aggressive play is the key to the Celtics’ offense. If he is able to make the defense collapse on his penetration, it frees up jump shooting for Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. The Celtics will rely on their seemingly endless number of weapons, both starters and bench players, but concerns about health are always present in a team of this age. If they can stay healthy, the Celtics are almost sure to be back in the conference finals.

Also seeking a return to those conference finals are the Magic, who will look to forget the dismal way they were eliminated from that stage of the playoffs in the spring. Dwight Howard is determined to finally develop post moves, and spent a few days with Houston Rockets legend

I

MCT

Kevin Garnett, right, and the Boston Celtics faltered in the NBA finals against Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers, but will key offseason additions give Beantown another title?

Hakeem Olajuwon during the summer to try and learn a dream-shake or two. Orlando returns almost the same roster that was nearly swept by Boston a year ago, the main difference being a carousel at small forward — with Matt Barnes departing for Los Angeles, Mickael Pietrus assuming the starting role and Quentin Richardson filling in as a back up.

On paper, Orlando is full of talent on both ends of the court, but it must conquer mental demons in order to ascend to the next level.

After these three teams, there is a large drop-off to the rest of the conference. The Chicago Bulls look promising, but may continue to suffer from a lack of shooters surrounding the core of Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah and free-agent signee Carlos Boozer.

That’s why three-point specialist Kyle Korver could prove as important an acquisition as Boozer.

The Atlanta Hawks have made almost no changes to a team that got crushed in four games by the Magic in last season’s playoffs. The Milwaukee Bucks have potential, but

still appear a year or two away from really competing for a top conference position. After the signing of Amar’e Stoudmire, the New York Knicks will certainly improve on last year’s 11thplace conference finish, and a potential trade for Denver Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony could send shockwaves throughout the conference.

Teams like the Toronto Raptors, New Jersey Nets, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Washington Wizards and Indiana Pacers show no evidence of being competitive against the top of the conference, but will still be interesting to watch, largely for their rookies. John Wall’s summer-league and preseason performances have given early indications that he was worth the No. 1-overall pick in the draft by Washington. Besides a few exciting players, however, these teams have very little to look forward in the upcoming year.

For the Celtics and Heat, however, next Wednesday night is the first of many steps toward the ultimate goal: an NBA Championship. It’s time for the questions to be answered.

f you, dear reader, happen to be a college football fan, there’s an overwhelming chance you’re already in complete and total disagreement with the title of this column. If you’re a college football diehard, there’s a good chance you’re cursing my name, calling me a fool, vowing never to read another word I write and setting off to burn your copy of the Daily. You’d be hard-pressed to find another public entity so widely loathed among those who are familiar with it (Congress and Sarah Palin are probably the only two that come close).

For those who are unfamiliar with college football, the BCS stands for the Bowl Championship Series, and refers to the system used to pit the two best regular season teams against each other in a national championship. This alone makes college football unique among major American sports, both professional and collegiate, which have playoffs lasting at least three rounds.

The college football powers-thatbe — commissioners of the six major conferences — have, instead of utilizing playoffs, the seemingly elegant and obvious solution to determine the matter of championhood, devised a seemingly inane system consisting of two human polls — but not the most popular and best poll, the AP — which have managed to escape broad public understanding for the better part of a decade.

The system has been altered numerous times to correct perceived injustices, and still manages to generate a firestorm of controversy every fall. As I mentioned earlier, most intelligent college football fans think the system is an absolutely inscrutable travesty that should be scrapped altogether, or at the very least integrated into a four-, eight- or 16-team playoff.

My opinion on the BCS has gone back and forth over the years. For years, I was a BCS apologist, echoing the party line that the bowl system is unique to college football and should be preserved, and that the BCS emphasizes the importance of performance throughout the regular season, rather than getting hot at the right time. I flipped my position a couple of years ago, realizing that conventional logic is overwhelmingly on the side of those advocating for a playoff. And yes, I still recognize that a playoff is very likely the more logical way to determine a champion.

And that’s exactly why I’m back on the BCS bandwagon. The apparent silliness of it is really its brilliance. Why not embrace an absurd formula that few understand in order to a crown a champion? Truthfully, the idea of the champion, while the main reason why we watch and care about sports, is also more slippery than we’d like to admit. At best, all a “fair” playoff system accomplishes is telling us who is playing the best at that particular point in the season. Leagues play a whole season, ranging from three to seven months, only to let the matter of who is “best” be determined by what happens in the last month of the season. When you stop and think about it, it makes no more sense than the reviled BCS. And so let’s embrace some uniqueness in our sports viewing habits. Let’s stop clamoring for another four-, eight-, 16-, 32-, 64-, 128- or 256-team playoff, and appreciate the obvious value of having things called “Jeff Sagarin’s ELO-Chess” and the “Colley Matrix” in our lives. Let’s recognize that all playoff systems are inherently arbitrary in some way. But most of all, let’s keep arguing about it, because that’s where all the fun is.

Ethan Frigon is a senior majoring in economics. He can be reached at Ethan.

Frigon@tufts.edu.

Sports

16

INSIDE Inside the Eastern Conference 15 Inside the Western Conference 12

tuftsdaily.com

SAILING

Jumbos see mixed results at Navy Fall Intersectional A Division falters, B Division flourishes amid tough competition and conditions

BY SARAH

TRALINS

COURTESY ADAM WEISMAN

Junior Nicolas Russo-Larsson skippered the A Division. Senior Roisin Magee and junior Adam Weisman split time as crew for Russo-Larsson, with Magee sailing races one, two and 12 through 20, and Weisman sailing races three through 11. With a slew of frustrating finishes in the first seven out of the 20 races, the A boat came in 15th of the 20 teams.

Russo-Larsson attributed the disappointing finish to a number of careless errors. “I made many mistakes on Saturday, such as undershooting the layline in traffic, which led to poor results,” he said. “Roisin and I had a much better day on Sunday, showing that we could turn it around in the A Division.”

Magee believes the boat could have been more positive and confident.

The sailing team had its ups and downs at the Navy Fall Intersectional this weekend, but finally finished in the middle of the pack, placing 11th out of 20 teams.

see SAILING, page 12

Daily Staff Writer

The co-ed sailing team this weekend competed in the Navy Fall Intersectional regatta hosted by Navy and showed flashes of brilliance, but ultimately finished lower than it had hoped with an 11th-place finish out of 20 teams.

Given the Jumbos’ No. 14 national ranking, though, the 11th placing wasn’t an underperformance. Twelve of the 20 teams at the regatta are currently in the top 20 national rankings.

There were four divisions in the regatta: the A and B Divisions, which were handled by a skipper and crew, and the C and D Divisions, which were singlehanded. The team raced a total of 80 races to finish with an overall score of 808.

WOMEN’S TENNIS

B team clinches first place at ITAs Browne and Bowman fall to familiar foes in semis BY

AARON LEIBOWITZ Daily Staff Writer

The women’s tennis team wrapped up its fall season this weekend at the New England Women’s Intercollegiate Tennis Tournament (NEWITT) at Amherst, where sophomore Lauren Hollender and freshman Samantha Gann paired up to win the 32-team Chris Davis B Flight.

To advance in the tournament, pairs had to win a best-of-three series, consisting of two singles matches and a doubles match.

In the Gail Smith A Flight, senior tri-captain Julia Browne and freshman Shelci Bowman reached the semifinals, losing to the Williams tandem of junior Kristin Alotta and senior Nikki Reich, whom Browne and Bowman had beaten in a dual match the previous weekend. Senior Edwina Stewart and sophomore Lindsay Katz also played in the A Flight, reaching the second round before falling to Amherst freshmen Jordan Brewer and Gabby Devlin, who went on to win the tournament.

Hollender and Gann, the No. 1 seed in the B Flight, on Saturday won all three of their matches 3-0, defeating Babson and Brandeis’ No. 3 teams and Conn. College’s No. 2. Their only stumbling block came on Sunday in the semifinals, when they took on Amherst’s No. 5 pair. After they won the doubles match, Hollender lost her singles contest, putting all the pressure of reaching the finals on Gann, who rose to the occasion.

“I wanted to prove myself on the court, and I think I executed well,” Gann said. “I exceeded my own expectations.”

In the championship match, Gann and Hollender fought through fatigue to defeat Wellesley’s No. 2 pair, 3-0, and take the B Flight title.

Meanwhile, Browne and Bowman beat Simmons’ No. 2, Brandeis’s No. 1 and Amherst’s No. 3 teams en route to the A Flight semifinals. Like the previous weekend, they got the better of Alotta and Reich in doubles, but the singles matches were their downfall. Browne and Alotta, who are close friends and training partners, squared off and although Browne won their showdown at the dual match, things were different this time.

“I beat [Alotta] pretty easily

DAILY FILE PHOTO

Senior tri-captain Julia Browne fell to Williams junior Kristin Alotta as the A team, consisting of Browne and freshman Shelci Bowman, lost in the New England Women’s Intercollegiate Tennis Tournament this weekend. last weekend, but I played pretty much a flawless match,” Browne said. “I knew that this was going to be a lot tougher, and she played really well. It came down to just a few points that changed the outcome, but that’s kind of what tennis is about. The better player that day is the one who wins, and Kristin was the better player in our match.”

Bowman faltered in the first set against Reich and was unable to recover, as Williams took the 2-1 semifinal victory. In the finals, Reich and Alotta lost to Amherst’s unstoppable pair, Brewer and Devlin, who won all their A Flight matches 3-0 and have yet to lose this fall.

The Jumbos now have several match-less months before the spring season begins, though they don’t see it as a time to relax. Their offseason regimen will consist of strength and conditioning three times a week, captain’s practices five times a week, team runs and even some intramural basketball.

“The offseason for a lot of Div.

III tennis teams is a time where people can catch up on homework and take it a little bit easy because we do have two seasons,” Browne said. “But it really is a great opportunity to get a head start. ... It’s easy to just take off the winter and play a little bit and still work hard in the sessions, but to really have everybody be as motivated during the offseason gives us a really big advantage when we start up in the spring.”

Browne’s teammates share her commitment to working hard in the offseason.

“The captains do an incredible job motivating the team,” Gann said. “Everyone is so passionate about becoming a better player, and everyone works hard off the court.”

“We already had so much improvement in the fall,” Katz said. “In the offseason, we’re just going to get even faster and even stronger, and in the spring, I think we have a lot of potential to do even better.”

MEN’S SOCCER

Jumbos secure spot in playoffs with double OT win at Conn.

For the third straight match, the men’s soccer team needed extra periods to determine a winner. The difference on Tuesday night was that the team, behind a senior quad-captain midfielder Ron Coleman goal, finally came out on top, capturing a crucial 1-0 victory in double overtime against Conn. College, a win that guaranteed them a spot in the NESCAC tournament.

“We’ve had bad luck in overtime this season and it’s just great to have such an emotional victory,” senior quad-captain midfielder Chris Flaherty said. “It’s a real momentum change from what the past couple games have been, and it was very inspiring.”

With less than three minutes remaining in overtime, senior forward Ben Green whipped in a free kick and Coleman streaked through the box, rose to meet the ball and buried it inside the far post to claim the victory. It was Coleman’s second game-winning goal of the year, the first coming on Sept. 25 against Wesleyan.

Both teams had a number of chances throughout the second half and into the overtime periods, but the two keepers were up to the challenge. Tufts’ junior goalie Alan Bernstein recorded seven saves to preserve the shutout, Tufts’ second in as many games. The back-toback NESCAC shutouts drop the team’s goals against average inconference play to a paltry .52.

“Bernstein’s been great and the combination of him and the defense has been working well and they’ve been really committed to defending,” Flaherty said.

“It’s tough playing a third straight overtime game but the good news for us is that we’re playing with a deep bench,” he continued. “There’s a lot of guys that can come in and play some good minutes so we all have no problem working hard and putting it all on the field.”

The win moved Tufts (5-5-2, 3-2-2 in NESCAC, 11 points) into fifth place in the NESCAC, a mere point behind fourthplace Amherst (7-1-3, 3-1-3 in NESCAC, 12 points) with two games to play. As mentioned earlier, the victory also clinched a conference tournament berth for the Jumbos, as under no permutations will Bates or Conn. College surpass Tufts in the standings.

“Now that we know we’re in the playoffs we can keep climbing the ladder,” Flaherty said. “We have two big games against Bowdoin and Williams left and hopefully we sneak some points out against some good teams. We’re pretty confident in the way we’re playing that we get a win against either of those teams and get a potential home playoff game.”

—by Alex Lach

LANE FLORSHEIM/TUFTS DAILY

Senior quad-captain Ron Coleman, above in the Homecoming game against Bates, last night scored in OT to clinch Tufts a spot in the playoffs.